Noodle Bar offers freshness

I'm at the Noodle Bar Vietnamese Restaurant in Marina. My mom is never too picky about restaurants, but she definitely has her favorites. This is her spot for spring rolls. Egg rolls are really high on my list of favorite foods with a golden crunch and steam billowing out from inside. They are fun to eat. The Noodle Bar does egg rolls pretty well too, but it's the spring rolls which have me coming always back.

Spring rolls are served chilled and pack freshness in every bite. They are made with rice paper wrapped around vermicelli noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts and cilantro. You choose between vegetarian, grilled shrimp, barbecue chicken, pork or shrimp. You dip these colorful rolls into peanut sauce and wish you'd placed a bigger order.

But if fried is what you have a hankering for; this isn't a bad restaurant to be sitting in. You can start your meal off with fried tofu strips or deep fried chicken. I prefer to go big and order the jumbo shrimp. They are nicely battered and come to your table with rice and vegetables. They will be big and crisp, and definitely a good choice — no matter what mood you might be in.

The barbecue five spiced chicken dry noodle bowl is placed right in front of me. Vermicelli noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, peanuts, and their house dressing on the side — a big bowl of crunchy, savory stuff. Everything is fresh and light. You won't walk out of this place hungry, just happy.

I am not really big on desserts. But every time I come in to the Noodle Bar, a pineapple smoothie is at my table almost as quickly as spring rolls. Nothing too dressed up; just a little something sweet to help wash all of this food down.

Ricardo Diaz is a Salinas resident and restaurant enthusiast. Suggest restaurants at: Rickadiaz00@yahoo.com. Follow Ricardo (The Ric) Alejandro Diaz on Facebook, look for him on Twitter @ricdiazishungry and see what he eats on Instagram @ricdiazishungry. Please be enough of an adult to put your name on anything you send me!